


Principles of Divergence in Storytelling

by ScreamingAtTheSky



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28492446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScreamingAtTheSky/pseuds/ScreamingAtTheSky
Summary: Happy New Year All!Little bit about me - I am obsessed with two things:1. The movie Clue. (Even though I don't love their characters on the show or agree with their treatment of Britta, I love that Leslie Ann Warren and Martin Mull played Britta's parents.)2. The origins of Britta and Jeff's decision to have secret sex in season 2 of Community.For this fic, I have decided to combine my two obsessions!For those who don't know the movie Clue, there are three endings provided for the film, two that could have happened, and one that did happen. For this fic, I am using that as inspiration, providing three potential origins for Britta and Jeff's season 2 RELATIONSHIP (and yes, I am calling it that). The first posits that they got together right after episode 2x01 - Anthropology 101. The second chapter depicts them getting together after episode 2x02 - Accounting for Lawyers. And, finally, the third chapter, in accordance with statements made by Dan Harmon, shows them getting together after episode 2x04 - Basic Rocket Science.I really enjoyed speculating about the thoughts, feelings, and words of my favorite idiots and I hope it brings some light to your new year! Stay safe everyone!
Relationships: Britta Perry/Jeff Winger
Comments: 15
Kudos: 22





	1. ...That's How It Could Have Happened (Anthropology 101)

_What a week_ , Britta thinks to herself as she curls up on her black faux-leather couch, her cat Daniel resting comfortably on her lap. She runs her fingers through his fur and scratches behind his ears the way he likes, not paying any attention to the news as it scrolls across her tv, instead reflecting on how suddenly everything can change, and your world can be turned upside down. She had been so scared to return to Greendale a few days ago, so unsure of what would await her on the other side of its once-welcoming doors. The reception wasn’t nearly what she’d expected – she’d steeled herself for the possibility of being ostracized and mocked, not revered – and she would be lying if she said she hadn’t been enjoying it, at least for a little while. Basking in the glow of the admiration of her classmates was foreign, and amazing, but ultimately short-lived as she saw firsthand the effect her emotions and passion had on her truest friends – the study group, the only six people on this planet who actually mattered to her (well, five and a half, because Pierce could be a _real_ monster sometimes).

She shakes her head, once again reprimanding herself for almost blowing it. She’d finally found a home somewhere. She’d finally met people who accepted her for who she is, and then she’d had to get caught up in a game of emotional chicken with Jeff. Her cheeks get hot and red just at the thought of him – she supposes they always will. No matter how much he had deserved her fire and getting a taste of his own medicine, _and he did_ , the two of them acting out their aggressions on each other had hurt everyone else around them, tearing at the delicate fabric of their group, and she couldn’t have that. 

Of course, none of this would have happened if Jeff hadn’t pursued her all of last year like a ravenous predator on the hunt for its next meal, only to run out on her like a scared little baby when she finally expressed her feelings for him. Ok, so she has enough self-awareness to know what was really fueling her decision to profess her love for him at the Transfer Dance – jealousy. And pride. She couldn’t stomach the fact that Jeff might _actually_ choose that pompous Slater over her. Who introduces themselves by adding Ph.D. _unironically_? She couldn’t handle the thought of coming up short _again_. 

But then, when confronted by all of it again, three months after the fact? She _had_ to say she’d exaggerated her feelings. She couldn’t give Jeff the satisfaction of thinking that she’d spent all summer brooding and moping over _him_ – even though, truth be told, she kind of had done just that. So, she lied to the study group, and to Jeff. She’d told him nastily, “Oh please, I never loved you,” and everyone believed that, took her at her word, chalked it up to Jeff and Britta and their never-ending thirst for the nectar of competition and one-upmanship. But the one person she couldn’t lie to was herself. In reality, she wouldn’t have blurted those three words out to anyone else. She wouldn’t have been so devastated at the thought of losing anyone else. There was – is – a part of her that _does_ love Jeff and she knows it. She loves his quick wit and ridiculous speeches, much like the one he gave that brought the group back together today. She loves how, when he locks his gaze on her, it makes her feel like the most desirable woman in the room. She loves how fiercely and intensely he loves his friends, even though he’ll never admit it. 

Yes, on some level she loves him, but none of that matters now. Because he’d been so overwhelmed by his feelings for her, or Slater, she’s still not sure who, that he’d run off and kissed Annie, a _literal_ teenager. The thought made everyone uncomfortable, as had the way they’d all been treating each other with less respect than they deserved, so they’d all decided as a group that, because their sexual urges and feelings were getting in the way of really _being there_ for each other, relationships were off the table. No intermingling among the group, not anymore and she could live with that. She could ignore the way her pulse quickened when Jeff walked in the room. She could ignore the intensity of every knowing look they shared or how his fingers grazed hers when they sat just a hair too close together at the study room table. She’d have to. For the sake of the group. She is the selfless one, after all.

Daniel lets out an affronted hiss, and Britta realizes that she’s been petting him a little harder than usual.

“Sorry buddy, shouldn’t take my frustrations out on you, huh?” She places a soft kiss on the top of his head, and he purrs in satisfaction, only to be disrupted once again by a quick, loud knock on her apartment door. Daniel jumps off her lap with an angry yowl and she throws her hands up in apology as she rises to see who’s there.

If it’s possible, she’s surprised and yet completely not at the same time when she swings open the door and sees Jeff’s smug grin staring back at her from the other side. She takes in the slight bruising around his nose from where Annie punched him, and she can’t help but grin back.

“Jeffrey,” she says in greeting, stepping aside to make room for him to enter.

“Britta,” he says back, packing so much emotion into the two syllables of her name in the way only he can.  
He’s never been to her small apartment before and seeing him there is somewhat unsettling. He seems almost larger than life here, his huge frame taking up practically the entire depth of her living room. When they’re at Greendale, everything seems so separate from reality, like they’re all in their own little world, but now, he’s invaded her personal one, and she can’t tell if she wants him to leave immediately or not at all.

“Well this is...nice,” he says, though his eyes say the opposite as he looks around at her posters and discarded clothes. She’s got unwashed dishes in the sink and unpaid bills on the table, too, but this is her home. It might be small and messy and overdue for a cleaning, but it was hers, damnit, and his judgmental tone had to go.

“Thanks,” she replies sarcastically. “I wasn’t _really_ expecting visitors tonight.”

“Clearly,” he says, raising an eyebrow at the cat that is running itself along his legs in greeting, purring loudly.

“Don’t mind him, he’s a terrible judge of character,” she says, a laugh almost escaping her lips when Jeff bends to scratch behind Daniel’s ears.

“Of course he is. He lives with you, doesn’t he?” His words are harsh, but his tone isn’t, and he smiles up at her while continuing to pet Daniel.

Needing to take her attention off the somewhat irresistible sight in front of her (Jeff Winger is good with animals?), she asks, “Would you like the grand tour?” She points behind her, “Kitchen.” She points at the door to her left, “Bathroom.” She points straight ahead down the tiny hallway, “Bedroom.”

“Ah, now we’re talking,” he says, rising slowly and rubbing his hands together to get the cat fur off of them.

She rolls her eyes, “What are you doing here, Jeff?”

“I was in the neighborhood?” He shrugs at her as he crashes down onto her couch and puts his feet up on her coffee table, crossing his long legs at the ankles. He leans back and threads his fingers together behind his head as if he owns the place. But, truthfully, doesn’t Jeff Winger own every room he’s in?

She sits down beside him, one leg tucked under her and body turned in his direction. “Sha. I’m not buying it. What’s the ulterior motive here?” She points her index finger at him, racking her brain to figure out what he could be up to now. Hadn’t they been through enough recently without him playing even more mind games with her in her own home?  
“Ulterior motive? Dial it back, Columbo.”

“Jeff, I’m serious. And tired. You have never come to my apartment before. Why are you here now? If it’s just to mess with me, I’m really not in the mood.”

“I’m not here to _mess_ with you, Britta. This isn’t a John Hughes movie. I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh.” This is completely unexpected and throws her off her usually strong banter-game. He just wants to _talk_ to her? What does that mean? And why do his eyes look so clear and honest, instead of dark and surly like they usually do? They’re as blue as ocean waves like always, but she’s getting sidetracked here. “About what?”

“Well, gee, I don’t know, Britta. The Gulf oil spill.” 

Her eyes light up. “Oh! Yes! It’s terrible, right? We should do something – raise some money or something. We could do a bake sale – Shirley could make her brownies. Or guys are pervs so we could do a car wash, or maybe—” 

He puts his hand in the air to stop her. “Sorry. Forgot for a second who I was talking to.” He shakes his head in amused disbelief. “ _Us_ , Britta. I’m here to talk about us.”

Us. The word plays on repeat in her mind like an annoying song you can’t get out of your head. He’d said it. She hadn’t imagined it. With the use of one tiny word, he’d linked them, taken their two beings and entwined them like the fibers of a sturdy rope.

“So there’s an us, now?” She forces confidence into her voice, but she’s fearful of what he’s going to say. This whole conversation feels surreal and she’s unsure of how far it will go, like she’s just leaning over the edge of a cliff and waiting for the freefall to begin.

“Isn’t there? I mean, hell, we almost got _married_ yesterday, Britta.”

“Oh please, that was just one of Abed’s tv tropes. You never would have gone through with it.”

“Well I definitely would have consummated it,” he says, leering at her.

“Don’t be gross.”

He narrows his eyes at her and shakes his head. “Look, I don’t know if there’s an us or not. What I can tell you is I _really_ like to beat you.”

She can’t help but smile at his genuine statement. “Yeah. I really like to beat you, too. Why is that?”

He looks down at his hands, really considering her question. “I think it’s because we’re equals.” He looks up and into her eyes then. “You challenge me.”

“I do?”

“Yes. And it’s infuriating. And unnerving. And you’re ridiculous in literally every way.”

She glares at him. “There’s that Winger charm.”

He continues, undeterred. “The point is, I just can’t get enough of you, Britta. I want to be around you all the time, even when you’re driving me insane. I don’t ever want to stop fighting with you or laughing with you or competing with you. And I don’t care if five other nimrods can’t handle it. The two of us, we’re something. And I don’t want to deny that anymore. Do you?”

She didn’t. Once she’d started to figure out her feelings for Jeff, she hadn’t wanted to hide at all. She’d wanted to dive headfirst into something with him, in whatever way they chose that worked for them. But it hadn’t gone that way. He’d screwed it up. And they’d both hurt people in the process.

“No. I don’t. But Jeff, we _have_ to think about the group. We had sex _one_ time and it nearly crushed everyone when they found out about it.”

“Well that’s their problem.”

“No, they’re _our_ friends, so it’s _our_ problem. A problem _you_ created, by the way.”

“Me? You’re the one who told me you loved me in front of the whole school.”

“Yeah, and you’re the one who kissed an impressionable teenager. I mean, Annie? _Seriously_?”

Jeff looks down at his hands again, a rare look of shame crossing his handsome face, and Britta is so tempted to reach out and touch him in this moment, but she resists.

“I know. That was a mistake.”

“Then why did you do it? And don’t give me some bullshit about Midnight like you did with Shirley.”

“Do you mean _Twilight_?”

“Wouldn’t know. Those books are too mainstream. Not my thing.” She shoots him a smug smirk.

Jeff rolls his eyes but continues on. “I just...everything got so intense at the Transfer Dance. You, Slater, making a choice. I couldn’t do it. So, I left to go outside and clear my head, get some perspective. And Annie was just...there. And it wasn’t complicated.” She scoffs. “At the _time_ ,” he clarifies. “And I guess I knew that deciding between you and Michelle would be permanent, a choice that would change my whole life, but kissing Annie would be temporary. It would feel good in the moment, but it wouldn’t have any lasting consequences.” He laughs softly. “Guess you could say I misread that one.”

“That’s the understatement of the century.”

“And _that’s_ the exaggeration of the millennium.” He sighs, looking like someone who has the weight of the world on his shoulders and is ready to lighten his load. “But I want you to know, the dance, the decision, all of that? I didn’t handle it right, and I _am_ sorry.”

“Thanks.” Her voice is barely a whisper. That’s all she can manage when he’s saying words to her that she never thought she’d hear from Jeff Winger.

“And Britta?”

“Yes?”

“I should have chosen you. I know that now and I think I knew it then, too. It’s you. Always was.”

“Duh doy." She brushes her thumb across the back of his hand to ease the embarrassment she knows he's feeling over that admission. She knows because it's exactly how she would feel had she just admitted something so intense. "But don’t go getting soft on me, Winger.”

“Oh, I assure you Britta, there’s _nothing_ soft about me.”

She’s so overwhelmed with emotion and desire for him – his honesty, his confidence – that she doesn’t give a second thought to her next move, one that seems so obvious to her, it can only be right. She lunges across the couch and presses her body against his, kissing him eagerly. His mouth is soft and skilled, and she feels the same electric pulses charge through her system that she always feels when they connect physically. She doesn’t know what it is, but something in her genetic makeup is drawn to something in his. They just fit. And it feels damn good to just let themselves enjoy it.

They kiss for hours or days or decades or some incredible amount of time before breaking apart. She doesn’t remove her body from his, choosing to rest basically on top of him on her couch, their faces inches apart.

“What was that for?” He asks, a smile playing across his lips, seemingly perplexed and intrigued by her, as usual.

“I thought it would feel good in the moment, but not have any lasting consequences.”

“Hm. Good thinking.” He grazes his fingertips along her back and reaches forward, capturing her lips in another kiss. She sits up so that she’s straddling his waist and runs her hands across his wide shoulders and the nape of his neck, gripping at the hair on the back of his head. Seriously, why don’t they do this all the time? Oh, that’s right. The fellow misfits they love and adore.

“Jeff,” she whispers, forcing their mouths apart with a hand on his chest. “If we’re going to do this—” 

“Oh, we’re _going_ to do this,” he interrupts, raising his eyebrows at her.

“We can’t tell anyone,” she continues. “In the study group, I mean. This has to be a secret, you and me. I can’t risk hurting them.” She gives him her most truthful, pleading look. She wants this man, possibly more than she’s wanted anyone before, but she can’t bear the thought of tearing the group apart because they both can’t keep it in their pants. 

He nods, seeing her point. “Agreed. We don’t involve the group at all, for their own good. This stays between us. Starting...now?”

His voice rises, and he’s like a little boy, and it’s adorable and sweet and sexy at the same time. She feels desire pool in her belly, so she places kisses to his neck and chest, grinding her body against his as she does so. He leans his head back and closes his eyes in satisfaction, moving his hands down to her ass and giving it an excited squeeze. “I mean, like you said, we _did_ almost get married. I’d say now’s as good a time as any,” she says.

“You know what, Britta? For once, you’re right.” 

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

“ _Finally_ ,” she says, kissing him again, longer and slower this time, letting him know that they have all the time in the world. Her passion is fueled by the possibility of what they can be without the pressure and even presence of their friends. 

She wants to just focus on how good his mouth feels on hers and how perfectly their bodies fit together while they move, but thinking about their friends brings back a thought that’s been nagging at the back of her mind and she can’t fully give in to the pleasure until she gets it off her chest.

“Jeff...” she whispers against his lips, surprised by the sound of her own voice. She’s not used to sounding so throaty and _needy_.

“Yes?” he asks, and his voice is clipped and breathy and she’s relieved to hear that he sounds as desperate for her as she is for him. 

“Did you come here for this?”

“Right about now I’d go _anywhere_ for this,” he says and leans in to kiss her again, but she pulls her head away.

“I’m serious,” she says, sitting up, and he follows her, sitting up too so that their faces are once again mere inches apart.

“ _Shocker_.”

“Jeff. Did you come here to convince me to sleep with you?”

He looks into her eyes, like he’s searching for something, and, whatever it is, she wants it to be there so badly. But she doesn’t back down, using all the resolve she has not to get lost in his blue pools and just kiss him again until she feels nothing at all – not curious, not apprehensive, not insecure.

Finally, he lowers his head a little and answers. “Kinda,” he says, and she rolls her eyes in response. “But,” he says quickly, before she can chastise him for his actions again, “I wasn’t planning for it, only hoping. Because I’m basically always _hoping_ to sleep with you, Britta. That hasn’t changed. But I _really_ wanted to apologize. That _was_ my main goal for coming here tonight. And that’s the truth.”

She nods slightly. “Ok.”

“So...do you believe me?”

She stares back into his eyes and now she’s the one who’s searching. She’s looking for the honesty she’d seen there on a few occasions last year – when he’d admitted to actually wanting to be her friend, when he’d called her the heart of the group, and when he’d told her that her genuine care for people makes him ashamed that he’s not better. Does she see it there now?

“Ugh. I actually do.”

“Good.”

He smiles at her – a real smile, not a sleazy one, and she pushes him down onto his back again, kissing every part of him that she can reach and just letting herself be happy for once. She deserves it. _They_ deserve it.

She’s not sure where this newly-formed “us” will lead, but she’s positive they’re going to have a hell of a good time getting there.


	2. ...But How About This? (Accounting for Lawyers)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This happens to be one of my ABSOLUTE favorite episodes, so I hope I did it a modicum of justice!
> 
> Enjoy!

It’s chilly tonight, even for late September in Colorado, and Jeff is thankful for the heated seats and warm cocoon of his Lexus. He pulls the gold bomber jacket from his team’s uniform for the pop and lock-a-thon ( _where did Chang get these_ , he thinks to himself again) tighter around his chest as he adjusts his mirror. The day had been long and eventful, and he is more than ready to put it _and_ himself to bed – after a double shot of whisky, of course. That was the only thing that could offset the pounding in his head from everything that had happened. Well, actually, there was _one_ other thing that could make him feel better – sex. But he’d pretty much blown his chances at _that_ happening with anyone anytime soon, so he’d stick with the alcohol tonight. It would help numb the pain of remembering that he’d abandoned the study group for a taste of his old life as a seedy lawyer again, gotten a semi-job offer from his former boss, reconnected with an old colleague only to find out that it was that colleague who’d cost him his entire career in the first place, and lost a dance competition on a freakin’ technicality. And, mind-blowing as it continues to be for him, the part that’s most upsetting is how he treated his friends, the way he’d neglected the only people who actually cared about him at all, the people who would stop at nothing to protect him. He’d insulted them, sent them away in a fit of rage. Sure, he’d ultimately shown up for them later, but how many times was he going to keep doing this? How many times was he going to mistreat them only to win them back with some carefully-crafted words before they got tired of having to forgive him? How long until they all realized he _just wasn’t worth it_? If his own dad couldn’t be bothered to stick around, why would his friends?

It had already started. He’d treated Britta and Annie deplorably – neglecting and fighting with the former and manipulating and wielding power over the latter. He _hurt_ these women, who cared for him in a way that he was completely certain he didn’t deserve, especially in Britta’s case. He’d pursued her relentlessly for a year, developed a significant friendship, arguably his most important relationship with another person beside his own mother, basically forced her to love him, and then mocked and left her when she actually professed it. But it hadn’t even stopped there, because his actions had consequences that affected more than just those two beautiful women. Everything he did affected the entire study group. His poor decisions led to confusion and fighting and hurt feelings to spread through their crew like wildfire, and he’d lit the match. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as memories of his recent actions play over in his mind. _No use living in the past_ , he reminds himself. After all, he had every intention of changing things moving forward. He’d make it up to them – he _would_. He’d start with Britta, because she deserved his repentance the most. Even after all he’d done, she still worked with the group to prove he couldn’t trust his former colleague, Alan, just to ensure he didn’t get hurt and fall to the dark side again. She didn’t have to do that, but, honestly, misguided and ridiculous as she might be most of the time, she had the heart of a lioness and she would do _anything_ for her friends, even at her own expense.

As if thinking about her had conjured her, there’s an aggressive knock on his driver side window and there, staring at him through the glass, are Britta’s intense blue eyes. She makes the motion for rolling down the window with a balled-up fist and he rolls his eyes in response – as if he couldn’t tell that that’s what she wanted?

“Yes?” he says, after he’s lowered the window all the way down.

“My car won’t start,” she says with a huff and he can see her breath as she speaks.

“Sounds like a real problem.”

“Don’t be a jackass, Winger. Can I get a ride home?”

“Maybe if you ask nicely.” He knows he shouldn’t be such a dick to her right now, especially after everything he’d done recently, but he just can’t help it. She’s more fun to mess with than anyone he’s ever met, and when she gets mad, her lower lip juts out and her chest swells in the sexiest way and it’s pretty irresistible.

“You know what? Forget it. I’ll walk.” She turns on her heels and he regrets his words immediately. They hadn’t spoken all summer and it seems his banter with her is a little rusty – he needs to remember to keep it just mean enough to challenge her and keep her coming back for more, but not so mean that she cuts and runs. But then again, isn’t that the manipulator in him talking? Something to think about, maybe – another time.

“Britta, wait.” She stops but doesn’t turn her body. “Get in the car.”

“Maybe if you ask nicely,” she shoots back at him over her shoulder.

“Not happening. But your apartment is fifteen minutes from campus by _car_. That walk is going to be impossible.”

“Ugh!” She groans loudly and shakes her fists in the air as she stomps toward the passenger side of his car. She frowns at him when she sits down beside him, but suddenly a look of delighted confusion crosses over her face. “What am I feeling on my ass?”

“Ah,” Jeff smirks at her, “that would be the heated seats.”

She shakes her head in disbelief. “You are _such_ a douche.”

“Have you ever heard the expression ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you,’ Britta?”

“Have _you_ ever heard the expression ‘bite me,’ Jeff?”

Jeff pretends to consider this. “I have. But usually women are using it in a very _different_ context when they say it to me.”

He leans in closer to her and she leans in too to whisper conspiratorially and for a moment he can feel his heart rate pick up the way it always does when he’s in close proximity to Britta.

“Is that the case with _all_ women, or just the teenagers?” There’s a twinkle in her eye when she asks the question, like she thinks she’s being playful or funny, but her words hit Jeff like a slap across the face. His bravado fades for a nanosecond, because that’s all he will allow before the Winger Walls go right back up, but he knows full well that that’s enough time for her to catch it. She looks down at her hands, as if she regrets what she said, and the moment passes between them without another word. Jeff just pulls out of his parking spot and starts on the drive to Britta’s apartment.

But he can’t leave it like that, can he? Her joke wasn’t a good one, she’s not exactly known for her wit, but that doesn’t mean the comment wasn’t deserved.

“I don’t make it a habit of romancing teenagers, you know.”

She looks out the window. “Hm. Could have fooled me.”

“Britta.”

They stop at a red light, and he stares at her intensely, leaving her no choice but to meet his gaze. She sighs. “Jeff, what you did sucked.”

“I know.”

Her mouth drops open in response. “You _know_?”

“What? I can’t be self-aware?”

“You? Not really.”

“Offense taken, Britta.”

“I’m sorry Jeff, but you have more hang ups than a long-distance phone call. And the fact that you’re aware of one of them is pretty surprising.” She places a delicate hand on his knee just before the light turns to green. “But I’m proud of you.”

He can feel the heat of her touch on his leg long after she removes it. The beep of the waiting car behind him rouses him into movement. It’s been a little over a year of knowing this woman and, somehow, when she says she’s proud of him, it fills him with a feeling of warmth and comfort that he hasn’t felt in a long time.

“Yeah, well, I guess you and the group are helping me grow.” He adds a hint of sarcasm to his comment for show, but he actually means these words, and he has a feeling she can tell.

“Well, it’s about time. But, I guess I’m not innocent either,” she admits reluctantly. “Maybe we both still have some growing to do.”

“Yeah, the group won’t survive it if we don’t,” he says, and they both laugh.

“Yeah, sheesh! I’ve never seen adults get that worked up by two people having sex. I mean, it’s just sex, right?” Britta says this in her usual blend of confident dreamer, but Jeff could swear he detects an underlying tone of curiosity. Maybe even...interest?

“Exactly,” he says, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she runs her hands up and down her somewhat-exposed thighs. The black dress she’d worn tonight seems to keep riding up her legs as they drive – or maybe that’s just his _own_ wishful thinking.

“Yeah, it’s not that serious.” She looks over at him now, and he averts his eyes quickly. If Britta can sense what he’s thinking, she won’t like how lascivious his thoughts have become. “At least...it doesn’t have to be.”

 _Or maybe she would_.

“Are you...proposing something, Britta?”

She bites on her bottom lip instead of answering him. He stops at another red light (ok, maybe it was yellow, and he slowed down intentionally so he could look at her while they talk, who could know for sure?) and they stare at each other. Just like the needlessly defiant girl he’s come to know, she juts out her lower lip and lifts her head slightly in the air, as if she’s steeling herself for battle.

“I guess I am.”

“And what would that be?”

“Sex.”

Jeff chokes on the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding and starts driving again as soon as the light changes. He’s never been to her apartment before, so he can use listening to his GPS as an excuse to not address her comment right away, but they’re almost at her place so that will not work for long.

“Kinda leaving me hanging here, Winger.”

 _What is happening_? Jeff thinks to himself. He doesn’t mean about the situation. Surely, he’d fantasized about this moment enough to be able to wrap his head around it just fine. What he can’t believe is his reaction. The fact that he’s actually hesitating! The disturbing realization that he’s actually thinking about the needs of their stupid idiot friends right now. But damnit, he is.

“But, what about the group?” he asks, and his voice already sounds defeated, like he knows that she knows he’s a second away from saying yes, that this whole considering others thing is just a formality, but one he wouldn’t have made a year ago. Growth.

“Of course. The group.” She looks down at her hands and picks at the nail on her right index finger. “I mean, I guess we could just not tell them?”

“Are you suggesting we have _secret sex_ , Britta?”

She huffs. “Look, Jeff, I’m just saying we’re two consenting adults who are attracted to each other and who enjoy spending time together and it would be a shame to let that go to waste. But, of course, we don’t want to hurt the group in any way so maybe we just don’t tell them. But if you’re not into it...”

“No, I’m into it. It’s definitely not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

“I’m sorry I thought vegan fro-yo would be a good idea. Jeez.”

He laughs as he pulls up in front of Britta’s apartment building. He cuts off the engine and they stare at each other, both taking the weight of the possibilities hanging between them.

“So, do we start tonight?” He tries to keep his voice even and not hopeful as he asks this.

“Uh, no. Watching you with all those lawyers was gross. And by the way, I did _not_ enjoy being dragged out of that party. And if you ever put your hands on me like that again, I’ll remove them from your body.” 

Jeff should let this go. She made her proposal. He sort of accepted it. And they’ll start. Soon. But what if they don’t? What if this is the one opportunity he has to get this started with Britta? He might not be ready for commitment in any way – his behavior at the end of last year proved that – but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have very real, very significant feelings for her. She’d said she loved him, she’d asked if he loved her, and he’d never answered, of course. He’d chickened out and run away. But he knew. Deep in the recesses of his heart, he knew the answer to her question. Meeting her had turned his entire world upside down. No part of him would ever be the same from having met her. He never got tired of seeing her, and the thought of a life without her in it was impossible to fathom. Yeah, you could say he loved her. So, letting her leave this car now and giving up the unexpected magic of this night was _not_ an option.

“Noted. No hands on you like that.” She nods and moves her hand to the door handle, readying herself to leave. “Of course,” Jeff says, and her hand stops dead in its tracks, “that does leave room for interpretation.” 

She looks over at him. “Don’t try to lawyer me, Jeff.” 

He holds his hands up in faux innocence. “Hey, I’m not a lawyer anymore."

"You never really were," she huffs.

"Irrelevant. The point is, I left that lawyer party to hang out with you. I’m just a community college student in a study group, remember?” 

“Whatever, I know what you’re doing. And you’re not going to use my own words against me. This isn’t a courtroom.” 

“You’re right, Britta.” He reaches out and runs the tips of his fingers along her thigh. 

She shivers. “Jeff...” Her voice is barely a whisper when she says his name.

“What? This is nothing like how I touched you at the party. Your terms were I couldn’t touch you _like that_. So, I’m touching you _like this_...” His fingers trace shapes across her skin and she watches them.

“Circumstantial.” 

“Not what that means.” 

“Objection?” It’s her last attempt at delaying this, but he can tell it’s half-hearted.

“Overruled.” 

Abed would probably call this a movie moment, because Jeff leans into her, completely invading her personal space, but he doesn’t kiss her. Not yet. On the off chance that she really doesn’t want him to, even though he’s pretty sure she does. He can feel the heat radiating off her body like a preheated oven, but he is not screwing this up, not when they’re so close to _being_ something, so he is determined to let her initiate this. She _had_ been the one to propose the secret sex arrangement after all, so it’s time to see if she’s willing to follow through.

That doesn’t mean he can’t help it along a little though – he might be growing, but he’s no saint – so he runs his thumb across her bottom lip and just stares at her. She meets his gaze with her usual intensity and passion – Britta is passionate about _everything_ , even when it doesn’t count, but this? The look in her eyes right now gives him the feeling that this counts more than anything he’s _ever_ done. 

“Damn you, Winger,” she whispers, and then grabs his face and pulls him to her and kisses him like her life depends on it. They kiss for an excruciating amount of time, like two teenagers making out in a car on a secluded hill at the beginning of some scary story.

Finally, they break apart, and he revels in her swollen lips and flushed cheeks. Memories of their paintball game last year flash through his mind – the two of them, writhing around on the study room table, relieving tension in the best way possible. Britta was loud that night and her breathing is deep and heavy now. They’re both so ready, he hopes with all his might that she won’t end this here.

“I have to go,” she whispers, and places a chaste kiss on his lips before exiting the car. It’s in complete contrast to what they’d just been doing, and Jeff can’t help but slump in his seat in disappointment. There’s no telling when this opportunity will present itself again. Well, until he calls her tomorrow to see if she wants to hang out—

Again, there’s a quick, aggressive knock on his window. He rolls it down to see her standing before him, arms folded, mouth turned up in a small smile.

“Well,” she says, “are you coming up or what?”

He might not be a sleazy lawyer anymore, but he thanks the god he’s not sure exists for holding on to just enough of that Winger charm to make things like this possible. How long it will last, he can’t be sure, but he imagines they’ll have a hell of a good time along the way.


	3. ...But Here's What Really Happened. (Basic Rocket Science)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here is Chapter 3!
> 
> I feel it important to explain that the chapter titles are all taken from what is displayed during the movie Clue. I do not in any way actually think that I know how anything actually happened!!
> 
> Also, a warning, it gets kinda mushy in this one because, well, I just need as much mush as possible in my life right now.
> 
> Enjoy!

Of course, it would happen this way. Of course, after an insane day of misadventures and general ridiculousness, when all she wants is to drive home, take a hot shower, and stumble into bed with her cats, Britta _would_ make it halfway home only to realize that she’d forgotten her leather jacket in the study room and have to come all the way back. It was all Abed’s fault. He’s the one who’d insisted they change out of their clothes so they could wear the “space suits” he’d ordered for them while they were on the KFC flight simulator simulator thing. She’s pretty sure they were just painter frocks, perfect for the actual task they were supposed to have completed – cleaning the old, dirty space bus – but, the point is, if not for that, her fairly expensive leather jacket would be on her body right now and not curled up in the corner of the study room somewhere.

She curses under her breath as she walks through the door of the library, trying to remember where she’d left the bag. She wanted to get this done quickly, but her bag was nowhere to be found.

“Looking for something? Or _someone _?”__

__Britta jumps, startled by the unexpected voice behind her. She turns to face him, and her body relaxes immediately._ _

__“God, Winger, you scared the crap out of me,” she sighs, holding a hand over her rapidly beating heart._ _

__“What are you doing here?”_ _

__“Forgot my jacket. What are you doing here?”_ _

__“Same.”_ _

__“Seriously?”_ _

__“Yes. I’m not leaving a $300 sportscoat behind, Britta.”_ _

__She laughs uncomfortably. The two of them hadn’t been alone like this in some time. “Pretty weird that we both forgot our clothes.”_ _

__“And yet are both still fully dressed. Which, in both our cases, is a crime.”_ _

__She looks at him out of the corner of her eye. Was he...flirting with her? This was an interesting turn of events. Last year, he’d flirted with her like his life had depended on it. But after their tryst during the paintball game, him leaving her hanging at the Transfer Dance, the two of them pretending to enter a relationship just to save face, and almost tearing the entire study group apart as a result of all of that, they’d kept their conversations straight PG. The damage they’d almost done was frightening and eye-opening. Their friends were fragile, and Jeff and her couldn’t let their attraction get in the way of the group – she’d make sure of that. She’d shut this down right now, if it was anything at all._ _

__“Yeah, well, I better go. I’ll just check for the jacket again on Monday. See ya.” She shrugs and starts to exit the study room._ _

__“Britta, wait,” Jeff calls, because of course he’d been flirting with her. How could he not? Reluctant as he might be to admit it, Britta had a hold over him. She always would. They were fire when they were together, fighting, fucking, whatever. And he missed it. The two of them keeping each other at arms’ length was getting old quick and he was putting a stop to it right now. “I just assumed you were coming back here to see Troy.”_ _

__“Why would I be doing that?” she asks suspiciously, looking at Jeff through narrowed eyes. But it doesn’t matter what face she makes at him – angry, satisfied, suspicious, hopeful – she always looks beautiful._ _

__“Well, you two had that moment on the space bus, I just assumed you’d be meeting up to, you know....” He lets his voice trail off, happy to see her eyes and nostrils flare in response. His comment landed._ _

__“Nope. Sorry to disappoint. I don’t fool around with teenagers. I’m not _you_.”_ _

__She does all she can to make her words as icy as possible when she flings them at Jeff. He deserves no less. After everything they’d been through last year, after she publicly declared her love for him, misguided as that admission might have been, he’d run away and kissed Annie. A teenager. An innocent. And he’d hurt Britta in the process. She’d never admit it now, of course, but the feelings she’d admitted to Jeff then were real. She might have exaggerated them, she had to do something to show up that bitch Slater, but that doesn’t mean they were entirely false. Of course, she had feelings for Jeff. Attraction. Affection. Love._ _

___Well, shit_ , she thinks._ _

__“I deserved that.” He takes a step closer to her and watches as she instinctively takes one back. He realizes then that getting back in her good graces might be harder than he’d originally anticipated. But he has to try. “I messed up, Britta.”_ _

__She scoffs. “ _That’s_ putting it mildly.”_ _

__“No need to pile on. I’m admitting I made a mistake. And I’m sorry.”_ _

__“Well, some things can’t be forgiven so easily, Jeff.”_ _

__“Something like, oh, I don’t know, framing someone for a crime he didn’t commit?”_ _

__She folds her arms across her chest. “Some could argue that the two might offset. I, however, would insist that one is _much_ worse than the other.”_ _

__“Convenient.”_ _

__“Jeff, what are we doing?”_ _

__“Looking for our clothes? Sheesh, Britta, maybe cut back on the weed. It’s affecting your short-term memory.”_ _

__“I _meant_ what are we doing with this conversation?”_ _

__This is his opportunity to give her an honest, heartfelt answer. To let her know that how he’d treated her at the end of last year will always be one of his deepest regrets. That he doesn’t want to take what they had – _or could have had_ – off the table. Especially since they’d had so much fun on that study room table. Once. But opening up still doesn’t come easy to him. He’d gotten better at it, mostly as a result of meeting her, but it’s still an uphill climb to self-actualization. _ _

__“I think we’re…making amends?”_ _

__“It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than one conversation to do that.”_ _

__“True. But maybe this could be a start.”_ _

__He takes another step closer to her and feels relief wash over him when she doesn’t step back this time. Instead, she leans her hip against the study room table, making her look even more petite. “I guess,” she concedes, still eyeing him warily._ _

__She can’t believe how happy he looks. She has no idea what it means, and to anyone else it might not appear that way at all, but she knows him so well, watching his facial expressions is like reading a familiar book. She knows all the lines, the nuances, the subtext. And she can see the look in his eyes, the slight upturn of the corners of his mouth. He is so happy that they’re taking this step. But why? Part of her wants to ask. And part of her is afraid to. Instead, she decides to throw him a bone._ _

__“Speaking of Troy, it was pretty nice of you to let him be the captain today.” She gives him a small smile, and he takes that as an opportunity to approach her, sitting down beside her on the study room table, his feet fully on the floor and hers dangling, nowhere near touching the ground._ _

__“Well, I’m a nice person,” he says, smiling back._ _

__“That’s debatable.” She pauses so they can both laugh. “But it _was_ good to see you be there for Troy like that – it made him pretty happy.”_ _

__“Just Troy, huh? What about you?”_ _

__“What about me?”_ _

__“Did it make _you_ happy?”_ _

__She scoffs. “Sha. You didn’t make _me_ captain.”_ _

__“Well, that’s because I don’t have a simulated death wish.” She sticks her tongue out at him. “But, you know, you seemed pretty pleased with the whole experience too.”_ _

__She shrugs. “More surprised, I guess. I didn’t think you’d stand up for Greendale like that. I thought you were still too busy being a badass ex-lawyer who doesn’t care about anyone but himself, especially this toilet.” She puts air quotes around that last word._ _

__“Yeah, well, you’re half right. I _am_ a badass, but the rest of it, that’s not really me anymore.” He hopes his expression conveys to her what his mouth can’t say – _I’m changing for you. And because of you_._ _

__On some level, she _did_ know he wasn’t the same guy he’d been when they first met. She just wanted to see how much of that he was willing to admit to her and, as usual, he was selling himself short. How could someone be so cocky and so insecure at the same time? Of course, she’s sure the same could be said about her. Maybe that’s why they work. Or why they never would. _ _

__“So then, who are you now?” she asks cautiously._ _

__He takes a moment to consider this. “Still figuring that out, I think. But I _do_ know I’m different than I was a year ago.”_ _

__“Well that’s _definitely_ true,” she laughs._ _

__“Don’t gloat Britta, it’s unbecoming.”_ _

__She can usually figure Jeff out better than anyone, but in this case, she has to admit she’s stumped. What could he be talking about?_ _

__“I’m just saying change is good. Why would I be gloating?”_ _

__“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know that all of this is because of you.”_ _

__Jeff wishes he could snatch the words back as soon as he lets them go. This is more sentimental and exposed than he’d ever wanted to be. He hangs his head to avoid any further discussion but, in classic Britta fashion, she doesn’t let it go._ _

__“Because of me? What did I do?”_ _

__He shoots her a look that says this should be obvious to her by now. Her bottom lip droops slightly as she looks back at him and he’s suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to kiss her. When out of the courtroom, he’d always been better at _showing_ how he feels rather than telling - although he doesn't really relish doing either. But he can’t imagine she’ll take too kindly to that._ _

__“You changed me, Britta – the friendships, the dances, the kind gestures, all of it. None of this is me. It’s you. You have to know that.”_ _

__She looks so genuinely pleased that he’s sorry he hadn’t told her all this sooner._ _

__“Jeff, I appreciate the credit, but you can’t change a person who doesn’t _want_ to change. You did this yourself.”_ _

__“Yeah, well, you can’t want to make changes when you don’t have faith in yourself. And you reminded me that I’m not completely worthless. So...thank you. For that.”_ _

__She just stares at his wide-open eyes for a moment and she’s suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to kiss him. But she can’t imagine that would end well for them. They’re finally talking like friends again. To act on her feelings now would be...well, _fun_. But dangerous._ _

__“Wow, these secret confessions are making this feel just like the night we played paintball,” she says, thinking she’s diverting the conversation but realizing almost instantly what a mistake that was. She can literally see the sparkle in his eyes, and he leans in even closer to her._ _

__“Well, if this is like that night, then you know what happens next...”_ _

__Her eyes flick to his lips as she answers, “Chang sets off a paint bomb and I have green paint behind my ears for two weeks?”_ _

__“No. You kiss me and then we have sex.”_ _

__“Excuse me? I believe you mean _you_ kiss _me_ and then we have sex.” She points her finger sharply into his chest._ _

__“Ok, Britta – and you call _me_ the liar.” _ _

__The sparks between them are practically visible at this point and if she doesn’t do something about this now, she’s going to give in and grab his face and have her way with him right here. Again. But visions of the study group pass through her mind. She sighs. “Maybe we should just agree to disagree on who started it.”_ _

__“Fair enough.” Jeff sounds, looks, and feels visibly disappointed, and he decides not to cover it up this time. Maybe it’s not the worst thing if Britta knows how he feels for a change. Hell, even when he doesn’t tell her a thing, she still knows what he’s thinking and feeling better than anyone. Plus, she’s sitting so close to him, she’s practically in his lap. He’s pretty sure he’s not in this thing alone. Not anymore._ _

__The look in Jeff’s eyes right now is driving her insane. She feels more powerful than she ever has in her whole life – he wants her so much, she can feel it radiating off his body. He’s so close to her, if she comes forward an inch, she’d be in his lap, and she’s pretty sure he wouldn’t push her away. Of course, there is one way to find that out. “The sex _was_ pretty good though,” she says, glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye._ _

__He smiles. “It _really_ was,” he responds, emphasizing the words because he means them so much._ _

__Britta purses her lips. “Alright, well, let's not go too far." She smirks at him. "Still. Kind of a shame we only did it the _one_ time, you know?” _ _

__God, this woman never stops surprising him._ _

__“What are you saying?” He’s pretty sure he knows, but he wants to hear her say it. He wants to know that she wants him. After all, he spent an entire year making it known to everyone how much _he_ wanted her._ _

__“Nothing, just, seems wasteful is all. You know, it’s not easy to find someone you care about and get along with and also have pretty good sex with. Just doesn’t happen every day.”_ _

__“Yeah, I guess it doesn’t.”_ _

__Their gazes stay locked, but neither makes a move to get closer to the other and, in that moment, their fear overtakes their desire. Fear of being the first to act, the first to admit, the first to reveal. With a silent nod, Britta hops off the table. He watches her closely as she grabs her purse, taking note of how slowly she’s moving. He can see his opportunity slipping away, but he can tell she’s feeling something for him, and he knows he doesn’t want this moment to end between them, not like this._ _

__“Just a thought,” he says, and she stops in her tracks. “We could always do it again.”_ _

__She turns and looks at him. “You mean, do _it_?” _ _

__Jeff scoffs. “Yes, Beavis, I mean have sex again. We shouldn’t let it go to waste. We’re adults. We can do anything we want. I mean, who’s stopping us?”_ _

__She rolls her eyes at him. “Duh doy. _Everyone_ we care about.” _ _

__He stands and takes a step closer to her. “That seems like a classic Britta exaggeration.”_ _

__“Come on Jeff, you saw what happened after everyone found out and that was only after doing it _once_ – could you imagine what would happen if you and I started having consistent sex?”_ _

__His ears perk up at her words._ _

__“Is that something you want to do? Have _consistent_ sex with me?”_ _

__“Well, is that something _you_ want to do?” _ _

__“I asked you first.”_ _

__She puts her hands on her hips. “Now who’s the Beavis?”_ _

__“Look, I’m just trying to say, none of this matters if you’re not really interested.”_ _

__He’s standing right in front of her now. If she reaches out, she’d be able to rake her fingers along the hard muscles of his stomach, something she doesn’t really care about normally but somehow on Jeff they’re almost otherworldly, like he’s some kind of superhero in a misogynistic comic book. _Alright, this is enough now_ , she thinks to herself. She wants Jeff and he wants her and it’s about time she got something she wanted damnit so she’s not going to run from this. For once, she’s going to run _toward_ something and not be afraid to trip along the way. She squares her shoulders, takes a deep breath, and says, “Ok, fine, I’m interested then.”_ _

__Jeff smiles as he looks down at her. Her eyes are so clear and strong, if it wasn’t so cliche he’d say he could just stare into them for hours. But that is lame, so instead he just says, “Good. Me too.”_ _

__“Good,” she says back, flashing him a smug smirk._ _

__They stare at each other for a bit, both too scared to say anything more, afraid to reveal true feelings in the midst of all the sexual tension._ _

__Just thinking about sexual tension makes her think of Abed, which makes her think of all their friends, which makes her regret her actions immediately. She looks down at her feet, ashamed. “Jeff, what is wrong with us? We can’t do this. We just all promised as a group that we wouldn’t let our passion get the best of us.”_ _

__“So, you’re saying you’re passionate about me?”_ _

__“Don’t be gross.”_ _

__“Come on Britta, this is ridiculous. You’re interested. I’m interested. But we have to miss out on this because of our _friends_? Some friends. You know, for a community college, this is feeling a little more like high school.” _ _

__“Well, you would know, you’re the one tonguing teenagers.”_ _

__She’s grasping at straws, she knows this, but the only way she can avoid her feelings for him is to mask them with anger._ _

__“Are you ever going to let that go?” He tilts his head at her, and she pretends to give it some thought._ _

__“Probably not, no,” she says, shaking her head._ _

__She’s baiting him and he sees that, but he doesn’t bite. He doesn’t want to be distracted by his love of sparring with her. Not right now. There’s too much potential here for something great. “Jokes don’t help our situation right now, Britta.”_ _

__He looks almost desperate for her, and she can feel herself breaking. She loves her friends, she truly does, but Jeff is one of her friends too, and he’s so broken. And if it’s possible that being with her might make him a little less broken, doesn’t she owe it to him as a fellow human? Doesn’t she owe it to herself?_ _

__She takes one small step closer to him and puts a hand on his cheek. “Well, I guess we _could_ just not tell anyone.” _ _

__“But if I don’t tell them, how will everyone know how cool I am?” he asks, sarcastically. Then, in contrast to his words, he takes the hand she’s resting on his cheek and grabs it in his own, lightly kissing the inside of her wrist._ _

__“You’re a jackass,” she says, but there’s no malice behind her words. “I’m saying we could do whatever we want to do _together_ and not let anyone else know about it. Ignorance is bliss and all that.” _ _

__“Secret sex,” Jeff whispers, almost to himself. “Huh. I like it.” He smiles at her._ _

__“Of course you do. Perv.”_ _

__“Says the woman who had the idea.”_ _

__“Says the woman who solved the problem.”_ _

__“So, we’re doing this?” He had never imagined this would happen, and he can’t believe his dumb luck._ _

__“Guess so,” she smiles._ _

__“Should we start now? Our old friend the study room table seems ready to go.” Jeff knocks on the top of the table and Britta laughs._ _

__“Uh, no. I think that’ll stay a one-time deal. For now.”_ _

__She’s sure she should go, give them both time to decompress about their new arrangement, but she’s just not ready to leave him yet. Moments like this between them are so rare, they’re almost magical. The one she can remember all too vividly is making her blush right now, so she quickly changes the subject._ _

__“Plus we’ve been through a lot. That was some adventure today,” she says, once again bringing up the event that brought them back to this room on a Saturday in the first place, her eyes darting back and forth between his._ _

__“Was it?” he asks, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Didn’t it feel more like something we always do – make a big deal out of a very low-stakes occurrence?”_ _

__“Well, yeah, but, I mean, isn’t that our whole thing? We create a mafia family over chicken nuggets and we fight with high schoolers and we play epic games of paintball.”_ _

__“Yeah we do,” he says, waggling his eyebrows suggestively._ _

__She rolls her eyes in return. “I’m just saying, that’s the beauty of Greendale. That’s the beauty of this study group. Everything’s an adventure.”_ _

__He narrows his eyes in thought. “Hm. I guess you’re right. But the adventures always end eventually.”_ _

__She tilts her head to one side and looks at him. “That’s true, but there’s always another one.”_ _

__“What about when there’s not, though?”_ _

__“What do you mean?”_ _

__“I mean, eventually we’re going to graduate. Leave. All go our separate ways. What happens then? What happens when the adventures stop for good?”_ _

__She frowns. “I don’t know. I never thought that far ahead before.” It’s never really been her style to do so._ _

__Jeff had though. He thought about it often. It had only been a year, but he’d become pretty dependent on these people, especially Britta. The thought of being without them terrified him, but he’d been admitting a lot of terrifying things today, so why stop now? “Maybe you and I could spin-off, like Abed would say. Have our own adventures?”_ _

__“Just you and me? Why?”_ _

__He looks at her again as if the answer is obvious. And maybe it is, and she’s just been trying to deny it since that night at the Transfer Dance. She’d offered her heart to him and he’d crumpled it up and tossed it aside like a balled-up piece of paper. So why did it seem like he was trying to uncrumple it now?  
“You know why, Britta.”_ _

__“No, I don’t.” If they’re about to have another moment, she’s not going to be the one to open up. If Winger wants this, wants her, he’s going to have to lay something on the line this time._ _

__“You’re the worst.”_ _

__“Well, that’s my cue,” she stands on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek before she turns to leave, but she’s not sure why she did that, it’s almost like it was instinctual. Because, in actuality, she’s frustrated with him for always having a million things to say when he wants something but closing up tight when there’s nothing but her heart on the line. _Maybe having sex isn’t a good idea after all_ , she thinks to herself._ _

__He grabs her arm and pulls her back toward him. He’s been open with her all day and he’s going to shut down now? Why? Because the playful banter is over? He needs to man up and he knows it._ _

__She stares down at his hand engulfing her tiny wrist, not able to look into his eyes yet for fear of what she’ll see there._ _

__“I can’t stop having adventures with you,” he says, and his voice is almost pained._ _

__Unable to resist a man on the edge, she looks up at him. “Why not?”_ _

__“Damnit Britta, I don’t know.” He pleads with her, silently, to let this go, to just take him at his word this time, but they both know she can’t. And why._ _

__“That’s not good enough Jeff. Not after everything that’s happened between us. Not after everything we just decided we’re going to do.”_ _

__He sighs. “You’re...you’re _everything_ to me, Britta. Greendale or no Greendale, study group or no study group, I need you to always be a part of my life. Even if everyone else packs up and moves on, I can deal with it, but not you. Ok? That’s why I’m so glad we’re not letting everyone else get in the way. I need to keep having adventures with _you_.”_ _

__Her breath catches. “Adventures are great. But we have to live our actual lives, Jeff. Especially if we’re going to be spending more time together, just the two of us. Not every day can be crazy.”_ _

__“I don’t know, Britta. You do a pretty good job of crazy on any day that ends in y.”_ _

__She narrows her eyes at him. “Ha ha. But I’m serious. What about normal stuff?”_ _

__“Well, normal things will be fun too because we’ll be together.”_ _

__“Sha. Taking my cat to the vet?”_ _

__“With you? Adventure,” he says, inching closer to her._ _

__“Protesting capitalist regimes?”_ _

__“Pointless. But adventure.” One more inch._ _

__“Buying plant-based foods?”_ _

__He’s right in front of her now. “Britta, don’t you get it? The food you eat is disgusting. And _life_ is an adventure with you.”_ _

__She can feel tears well up in her eyes and she forces them away. Just when she thought she could read Jeff Winger like a book, he goes and gives a mini-Winger speech like that. What an ass. An ass she probably loves. She wants to say so many things to him right now, but what would be the point? She’s never going to be able to weave words like him, and isn’t it obvious by now that she feels the same way? She hopes so, because all she can muster the strength to do is kiss him, so she crashes her lips to his and runs her hands through his hair and tries to show him that she’s all in on this weird, potentially dysfunctional relationship._ _

__When they break apart, they both need a second to retether themselves to the earth. When she’s finally able to speak again, she clears her throat and says, “So I’m thinking we should start tonight.”_ _

__“Yeah, ok, I think that could work,” Jeff says, smiling down at her._ _

__“Good. My place at 8,” she says, adjusting the collar of his space suit. “Bring vodka and condoms.”_ _

__“Classy.” She gives him a smirk and the finger. “Guess I should probably return your jacket then, too.”_ _

__She stares at him in confusion. “What? Why do _you_ have it?”_ _

__Jeff gives her a rare shy smile. “I may have taken it, so you’d have a reason to come back to the study room.”_ _

__“Jeff, why would you do that?”_ _

__“I told you, Britta. I wanted to be around you. If I was here when you got here, it seemed like an easy enough way to ensure that happened.”_ _

__She’s taken aback. She wants to be angry; she really does. “That’s sneaky. And manipulative.”_ _

__“Yeah.” He looks down at the floor._ _

__She _wants_ to be angry. But she just isn’t. “And I’m going to make you pay for it later.” _ _

__He looks into her eyes and smiles with relief._ _

__“Promise?” he asks, raising his eyebrows when she nods and leaning down to kiss her again before she leaves. “What are you going to do to me?”_ _

__“Guess you’ll find out tonight,” she shrugs, feeling giddy as she approaches the study room door._ _

__He smiles at her back. “Hey Britta,” he calls, and she turns around._ _

__“Yeah?”_ _

__“This is going to be fun.”_ _

__She nods. “I think so too.”_ _

__For once, they’d both said exactly what they were feeling and meant it. Neither is sure what will come of this arrangement they’ve made, but they both know they’ll have a hell of a good time finding out. Together._ _


End file.
